tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7247908807217087485..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Open letter to MLBBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86125694141349734162018-07-03T14:06:54.186-07:002018-07-03T14:06:54.186-07:00So true big guy...Need you to step up to the plate...So true big guy...Need you to step up to the plate and make baseball on radio exciting again...We were so spoiled with Vinni and Chick all those years...even Dick Lane could make Ascot racing, wrestling, and roller derby better than Shakespeare's words...Find folks with a PERSONALITY... tvfatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05334224433587533124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80871825669415347942018-06-29T13:22:37.468-07:002018-06-29T13:22:37.468-07:00I don't like Rose and Levin on the Mets radio,...I don't like Rose and Levin on the Mets radio, but I was spoiled with Murphy, Nelson, and Kiner. And Gary Cohen is very good indeed. Yankees announcers terrible, worst homers ever. I'd agree with the point about bland corporate sameness but the main thing is the lack of balls in play and the constant pitching changes, as Joey says. Problem is, the computers tell the managers what to do and they do it. Much less of a human element, and that's going to be much exacerbated when umpires are replaced with machines which I feel is inevitable. Although to be fair, most plate umpires now fall for the most obvious frames. Lose the replay and the blizzard of impossibly arcane stats and us fans would be better off. And as has been mentioned, it's REALLY expensive to see a big league game; I like the minor leaguers and was annoyed when the Newark club evaporated in the dead of night.mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82721325101212656732018-06-28T20:38:47.921-07:002018-06-28T20:38:47.921-07:00We're also lucky in Chicago to have Pat Hughes...We're also lucky in Chicago to have Pat Hughes doing radio for the Cubs. Great fun.<br /> ChgoMagichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00902404460067509817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64120868300829461902018-06-28T20:25:00.982-07:002018-06-28T20:25:00.982-07:00I don't know, but I think I began losing my lo...I don't know, but I think I began losing my love of watching and listening to baseball when pitchers pitching complete games pretty much disappeared. 2017, I'm actually surprised to see two pitchers lead baseball with 5 complete games each, I didn't think any teams allowed even that many! Next came 6 pitchers with 2 complete games each. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does.Astroboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84939649267967005422018-06-28T17:58:15.431-07:002018-06-28T17:58:15.431-07:00Every announcer I hear sounds like the dreaded Joe...Every announcer I hear sounds like the dreaded Joe Buck. The inflections are wrong on most calls. There is zero enthusiasm . Heck, even our Dodgers announcers are pretty boring and get many calls wrong. J-Rodnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3702313759433837322018-06-28T13:24:27.247-07:002018-06-28T13:24:27.247-07:00I agree that the decline in interest is more about...I agree that the decline in interest is more about the play than the announcing. In football, innovations like the West Coast Offense made the game more exciting and unpredictable. In baseball, innovations like the left-handed specialist are making the game less exciting and more predictable (and, as noted, slower).<br /><br />The constant pitching changes aren't just taking up time. They're taking up more roster space. Now, after the pitchers and catchers are accounted for, the typical team has only about 10 slots left to fill the remaining seven positions (or eight in the AL). For position players, the GMs are focusing more on bats than fundamentals. Defensive play, especially in the outfield, has suffered. A lot of outfielders can still make a nice catch through sheer athleticism, but they can't throw a ball all the way to home plate.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42915978131244424732018-06-28T11:10:10.502-07:002018-06-28T11:10:10.502-07:00WABC was the Yankees flagship station for years, e...WABC was the Yankees flagship station for years, even though its other programming was not sports oriented (Limbaugh, Hannity, Art Bell). I assume they were being paid to carry the game. Anyway, it made for a pleasant evening. The dinner time right-left duo of Malzberg and Bey were spirited but congenial, and I'd fall asleep during the game, eventually waking up to conspiracy theorists and purveyors of colloidal silver.Lou H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58277313171673605632018-06-28T09:42:21.723-07:002018-06-28T09:42:21.723-07:00Colin Cosell, the grandson of Howard is now a stad...Colin Cosell, the grandson of Howard is now a stadium announcer for the New York Mets. I've gotten to know him through social media and I'm sure he brings something really good to the field. Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68454278861199628212018-06-28T08:55:45.797-07:002018-06-28T08:55:45.797-07:00Ken,
Baseball sorely needs more outreach to the n...Ken,<br /><br />Baseball sorely needs more outreach to the next generations of fans. And I don't mean a canned national show on MLB Network at 10am Saturdays hours away from that day's game broadcast.<br /><br />Baseball once had a marvelous salesman. Sixty years ago in Brooklyn, there was a brilliant program hosted by a magical entertainer named Happy Felton who CONNECTED the fans (via local little league programs) and the home team players.<br /><br />Decades have passed, people are more jaded, players no longer live in the same neighborhoods as their fans (save for the children of corporate titans and hedge fund execs). BUT the underlying attitude works -- make the kids feel connected to and invested in the team.<br /><br />Copy this URL, watch this film of an actual Happy Felton's Knothole Gang -- which was the pre-game show leading into weeknight Dodgers games on channel 9 in New York. Strip away the vaudevillian trappings -- the man was like your favorite uncle getting YOU excited and emotionally involved.<br /><br />https://youtu.be/KsQuqhWhm8o<br /><br />In today's terms, he was getting that 10 year off his PlayStation and into a sport to love and inspire -- and in the case of many of us -- getting us to READ something. A book on Jackie Robinson or Pedro Martinez is just as important to a young person's development as Harry Potter. <br /><br />Find someone who can take Happy's concepts and bring them up to date without losing the humanity and the passion.<br /><br />It can be done. More crucially, it needs to be done.Mike McCannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369457898152250682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41087004414189010472018-06-28T05:54:40.342-07:002018-06-28T05:54:40.342-07:00The local announcer was more important back when t...The local announcer was more important back when the primary broadcast vehicle was those clear channel 50,000 watt flamethrower AM stations. In the early 80's in the midwest you could tune the dial and choose among Bob Uecker on WTMJ Milwaukee, Harry Caray on WGN Chicago, Marty Brennaman on WLW Cincinnati, Ernie Harwell on WJR Detroit, and Jack Buck on KMOX St. Louis. Some good choices there, don't you think? A lot of people became baseball fans (or fans of specific teams) thanks to those guys. Now the primary local broadcast vehicle is the regional sports network, and it isn't the same. Because the RSN's audience isn't the same. Jeff Boicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14600946876122022978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51509140267352744532018-06-28T02:04:53.635-07:002018-06-28T02:04:53.635-07:00(From a former Reds Radio Network operator back in...(From a former Reds Radio Network operator back in the 1980's, when running the Reds required substantial doses of Mountain Dew.) <br /><br />With radio revenue falling due to lower ratings and a general depression in the radio business as a whole, the budget in the booth gets slashed when a legend retires. Baseball franchises are not going to pay a Vin Scully salary anymore, and it shows in the overall quality of the broadcasts these days. (The board ops on some of these flagships have gotten a bit sloppy over the years as well.) A bland but competent nobody behind the microphone fits the budget and placates the granddads still listening to AM just fine.<br /><br />It would be interesting to see some data from the MLB streaming. I wonder which teams get the highest numbers of listeners worldwide. I'm betting the Yankees.<br /><br />Cleveland fans: I like Tom Hamilton, too. But one of these days he's going to have a heart attack calling a foul ball.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098471743485897147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86385847736479868042018-06-28T00:18:58.611-07:002018-06-28T00:18:58.611-07:00How does quality of radio announcers impact the pe...How does quality of radio announcers impact the people who come to a baseball game?MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32056215323390312502018-06-28T00:17:12.170-07:002018-06-28T00:17:12.170-07:00I miss the days of Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn....I miss the days of Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn. They made even the bad games entertaining. Ashburn had so many stories of his playing days that he could go to when the action on the field didn't warrant commentary. The Phils current TV team are homers (we need a homer here) and bland (reading right off the chyron without adding any context); even John Kruk, who is cruising since he left ESPN (his self-depreciating weight jokes are getting stale). Unfortunately, the Phils best play-by-play guy, Scott Franzke, is on the radio. He has a dry wit, and when he teams with Larry Andersen (who now only does home games), on their best days give a a hint of what we got every game from Kalas/Ashburn. MikeKPa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24017590585750069312018-06-27T23:27:15.292-07:002018-06-27T23:27:15.292-07:00As the others said, Bob Uecker is the whole reason...As the others said, Bob Uecker is the whole reason Milwaukee’s radio ratings are so high. He kept us entertained through many a terrible game in years gone by. This year I skipped the TV broadcasts an stuck just with radio.John Jackson Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02450012837939955658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89489338487846896082018-06-27T23:26:27.988-07:002018-06-27T23:26:27.988-07:00As a Cardinals fan, I appreciate the personality t...As a Cardinals fan, I appreciate the personality that Mike Shannon brings to the booth. The fault also has to be partially on the changed nature of the game. It's mostly strikeouts, walks, and home runs now. The ball just isn't in play enough. Base stealing is becoming a lost art. Bunts are a rarity. Launch angles and exit velocities are boring. And, there's a pitching change every batter in the late innings. Who wants to sit through that? Baseball has always been my favorite sport but the guys in the booth can only do so much with the wreck the game is becoming. (Babe Ruth points to the upper deck and says, "There's an 87% percent chance I'll hit it right there.")JoeyHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12710864245535772665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46619450477041987532018-06-27T20:50:26.273-07:002018-06-27T20:50:26.273-07:00Yes, the quality of announcing is generally poor, ...Yes, the quality of announcing is generally poor, with some outstanding exceptions as noted above.<br /><br />But the real problem, I think, is the incredibly leaden pace of today's baseball...<br /><br />___________<br /><br /><br />I crunched some numbers from the 1979 Toronto schedule. Out of their 162 games:<br /><br />10.5% lasted 2 hours or less - (17 games, including 1 6-inning game)<br />55.6% lasted between 2:01 and 2:30 - (90 games, including 3 10-inning games)<br /><br />Only two 9-inning games during the entire season lasted 3:15 or more. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now flashforward to 2017. Out of the team's 162 games:<br /><br />0% lasted 2 hours or less.<br />4.9% lasted between 2:01 and 2:30 - (8 games)<br /><br />Forty-one of the team's 9-inning games lasted 3:15 or more.<br /><br /><br /><br />_____________<br /><br /><br /><br />The basic rules of the game haven't changed -- there are still (usually) nine innings to get through. But every night, there's now an extra 45 minutes to an hour to wade through of players calling time outs, mound conferences, pitching changes, and waiting for replays. EVERY NIGHT. <br /><br />Baseball announcers don't just have to be as good as they were 38 years ago -- they have to be about 50% <i>better</i>. Because the game has gotten 50% slower and duller.<br />Y. Knotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11113170603742828515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-186467227355128302018-06-27T19:32:15.337-07:002018-06-27T19:32:15.337-07:00I agree with the comment that the announcer are no...I agree with the comment that the announcer are not the problem with attendance. Costas is still great even though he doesn't do many games. I like Jim Katt and Smoltz. I didn't see any one mention Steve Stone. One of the best analysts in the game. If you don't read him read Phil Mushnick in the New York Post. He pretty much hammers most announcers. No, he is not a big fan of Sterling. Maybe he was great at one time, but I guess they like his calls even though he is wrong on a lot of balls that he thinks are homers. One of the things he points out about announcers, is they never say anything about a batter not running hard on balls batters think are home runs. I live near Milwaukee and Uecker is still great at the age of 85. Like Scully he doesn't do many away games. I think the TV guys are great. Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder are very good. The bad thing with Anderson is he is allowed to do the NCAA tournament and some of the NBA post season. When he is gone Matt Lapage, who mainly announces Badger football and basketball takes his place. I didn't see any one mention Pat Hughes. He and Ron Santo were great. Now Ron Coomer is the analyst. They are fine together but I don't know if Coomer adds very much to the game. Carey and Piersall were great when they announced Sox games. Of course you never knew what Piersall was going to say. They were great fun to watch.sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76376729160262505772018-06-27T19:30:14.150-07:002018-06-27T19:30:14.150-07:00Who here misses Howard Cosell? Who else here is ol...Who here misses Howard Cosell? Who else here is old enough to remember him?Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42858853188074670932018-06-27T19:13:59.941-07:002018-06-27T19:13:59.941-07:00I have the MLB app so can listen to all radio broa...I have the MLB app so can listen to all radio broadcasts. The only one I listen to is the Mets team of Howie Rose and Josh Lewin. The team on the field is so bad but the radio booth is the best. All the rest on radio pale to compare. Great commentary and have fun even with a terrible team.Stu Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14097000913495185851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50500411348676231532018-06-27T18:59:05.272-07:002018-06-27T18:59:05.272-07:00Years ago there was a book about female stars from...Years ago there was a book about female stars from Hollywood’s Golden age titled “They had Faces Then”. For this topic the book would be called “They had Voices Then”. Each of the announcers you mention had a distinctive voice. Another favorite voice for me was Lindsey Nelson. And of course Mel Allen (I never got the appeal of Red Barber). Many of them were also shameless homers, actively rooting for the home team. They used catch phrases that came to be associated with them, and many had trademarks such as Nelson’s loud sport coats (presaging Craig Sager). The result was a lot of fun as well as a professionally called game. Nowadays, with MLB live look ins, you get to hear many announcers (TV, not radio), and they are bland, corporate, generic, as you indicate. They all sound the same, and the games are reported with as much excitement as they would display if broadcasting surgery. Typical is Dave O’Brien of the Red Sox. He is very professional, smooth even. But someone once described him as plain vanilla ice cream in a white bowl. And he replaced Don Orsillo, one of the few play by play guys who had fun in the booth (along with a very professional voice). He is now doing Padres games, which can’t be much fun. I know many didn’t like Hawk Harrelson, but I thought he was great. A real throwback, homerism, catchphrases and fun. Totally agree on John Sterling and Suzyn. They really spice up the game. BobinVThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06659467295097024979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50402203407359387672018-06-27T18:38:53.553-07:002018-06-27T18:38:53.553-07:00Amen, brother! I've posted here before about t...Amen, brother! I've posted here before about the earnest but dreadfully bland guys who have the thankless job of being Bob Uecker's straight men on Brewers broadcasts. When Ueck takes a couple of innings off, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Although I will concede that Ueck is entertaining, he frequently rambles on about stuff from the Stone Age. "Dick Groat! Man, that guy could play. Only guy who could call his own bunt. Bill White! He became the NL president!" I am 61 and this stuff is before my time!Jeffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57080735843500181362018-06-27T18:11:17.772-07:002018-06-27T18:11:17.772-07:00I certainly agree with you about Benetti ... just ...I certainly agree with you about Benetti ... just a pleasure listening to him and Steve Stone work together when MLB network airs a White Sox game.<br />I wonder if the story-telling opportunity for radio announcers will ever be heard again as each broadcast seems too packed with promos ... "This 3-and-2 pitch brought to you by..."Al in PDXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835073077514498840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44365540134169455502018-06-27T17:45:07.589-07:002018-06-27T17:45:07.589-07:00P.S. My initials are M.L.B. At first I thought Ke...P.S. My initials are M.L.B. At first I thought Ken was sending ME a message. Message received. Wink, wink.<br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83413288556958398282018-06-27T16:51:13.884-07:002018-06-27T16:51:13.884-07:00Interesting idea (boring announcers being part of ...Interesting idea (boring announcers being part of the problem). I hadn't thought of it, but I agree. I'm a fan of another once-great, now niche sport (Indycar racing). Part of the problem is that a lot of the color has been bled out it. Except in rare instances, the drivers all thank their sponsors and their crews and give mostly the same interview regardless of what happened. The announcers are competent but vanilla, and it's been a looooooong time since we had the equivalent of a Vin Scully.<br />Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02753360146107174303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44990469404162664582018-06-27T16:32:02.386-07:002018-06-27T16:32:02.386-07:00Time-zone wise, Ken, you could do a lot worse than...Time-zone wise, Ken, you could do a lot worse than watch the San Diego Padres.<br /><br />OK, a fairly hapless team, though they do have a bunch of interesting young prospects, as befits a perennial loser ... but, the main thing here is, you get to listen to one of the most urbane and generally likeable play-by-play guys still on TV.<br /><br />I'm talking about Don Orsillo, much missed around Boston parts. (Fired by a total incompetent in the marketing department called Joseph Maar -- apparently the Executive Producer at NESN, so go figure the minuscule intelligence of the man.)<br /><br />A very classy guy, is "The Don," as we Red Sox supporters used to call him. He knew he was going to be fired two months before it happened, but he stuck with the contract. His final words, on the last day of the season, to us, the fans?<br /><br />"This is Don Orsillo, rounding Third, and heading for Home. Thank you all!"<br /><br />Marvellous. I teared up, just remembering it.<br /><br />(His replacement is an utterly worthless multi-sport divot. <b>I</b> could actually do a better play-by-play than Obie. Perhaps you should apply for the job?)Dr Loserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12717234136006844887noreply@blogger.com